In April, we had the incredible privilege of taking our members to BrightonSEO, immersing them in the world of digital marketing excellence. We spoke to them to share their experience at the event.

In this interview, Crystal discusses her motivations for attending the event, the excitement of being part of a community, memorable talks by inspiring speakers, and more.

 This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Welcome, Crystal! To start, could you introduce yourself briefly?

I’m Crystal Nyarko, a Freelance social media, marketing manager, and photographer.

I am also the founder of Clear Narrative Media and my charity is Crystalized Nation Ghana.

I’ve been working in the media and marketing industry for six years now, and I’ve had the opportunity to engage in various aspects, from SEO and social media to blogging and content creation.

That’s awesome, Crystal. Now, let’s talk about your decision to attend Brighton SEO. What inspired you to participate in this conference?

Last year, when I was searching for a role, Natasha Woodford, who was helping me with my CV, mentioned Brighton SEO. That piqued my interest, and I decided to explore what it was all about.

I attended last year but didn’t fully enjoy the experience since I was alone.

However, this year, I was determined to step out of my comfort zone, build connections, and network with like-minded professionals. 

It’s wonderful that you decided to take that leap. Can you describe the feeling of entering the conference hall and being with people this time?

Having attended Brighton SEO last year, I had some idea of what to expect. However, this year was different because I had a community. From the moment I arrived, I met Matilda, the first person there, and we immediately engaged in mind-blowing conversations. 

As more people joined, we continued sharing our thoughts and formed a tight bond even before the event began. We even created a group chat that we still use to this day.

Walking into the conference hall together, networking, meeting new people, and receiving free goodie bags were simply amazing. 

That’s heartwarming to hear, Crystal. Let’s shift our focus to the talks you attended. Which ones stood out to you, and why?

Interestingly, my two favorite talks were delivered by women. The first talk was by Carrie Rose from Rise at Seven. They do everything I initially wanted to do in social media and content creation. 

Carrie spoke about their strategies and how they achieved visibility for clients using platforms like TikTok. It resonated with me because it aligned with my goals over the past few years.

The second talk that I absolutely loved was by Areej Abuali. As a woman of color myself, seeing her speak and represent diverse voices was powerful. Her Keynote was amazing!

She discussed how SEO has evolved over the past decade and highlighted underrepresented individuals and their achievements. It was incredible to witness someone using their platform to uplift others.

Those sound like impactful talks. What was your biggest takeaway from Brighton SEO? What left a lasting impression on you?

Community was my biggest takeaway. When I attended Brighton SEO alone last year, I felt somewhat isolated. However, this year, being part of a supportive community was transformative. 

Throughout the event, I realized the power of coming together, sharing ideas, learning from one another, and having a support system. 

Building a career, especially as a young woman of color, can be challenging, and finding a tribe that understands and supports you is essential. This experience helped me discover the power of community, and we all still keep in touch after the event.

The power of community is truly remarkable, how did you approach networking at the conference, and what advice would you give to others who may feel shy or hesitant?

My advice is to not overthink it. Overthinking often leads to pulling away, which is natural. I suggest starting with a simple compliment, whether it’s about someone’s appearance or an item they’re wearing. For example, saying, “I love your hat” can be an icebreaker. 

Taking that small step of initiating a conversation, whether it’s a greeting or a smile, can go a long way. Embrace the experience and be open to forming new connections.

Who was one person that you were excited to speak to at the event?

I was excited to speak to Carrie Rose but she left quickly and I wasn’t able to. Hopefully, I will be able to speak to her at another event.

Could you share what you learned from this experience that will always have an impact on your career?

One of the most significant impacts for me was the power of community. As the founder of clear narrative media, my goal this year was to find freelancers within the industry to collaborate with. 

Attending BrightonSEO with the FCDC members provided me with an incredible opportunity to connect with like-minded professionals from various fields such as content writing, UX, tech SEO, and social media.

Now, I have a group of trusted individuals whom I can rely on. If there are any job opportunities or projects that come my way, I can easily pass them on to the talented professionals within my network. We can now put money into each other’s pockets.

Thank you, Crystal, for sharing your thoughts. It’s inspiring to see how the power of community has positively impacted your journey.

You’re welcome. I would like to extend my gratitude to the FCDC and the connections I made at BrightonSEO. Being with these like-minded people has opened doors for future collaborations. 

In fact, we are already planning our next meetup in Scotland, and we’re growing together. 

Connect with Crystal on LinkedIn

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